The Braves announced tonight a trade that sends infielder Ryan Schimpf to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for catcher Carlos Perez.
The Atlanta #Braves tonight acquired C Carlos Pérez from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for INF Ryan Schimpf. Pérez will wear No. 61.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 1, 2018
Schimpf was a fairly (very) recent acquisition by Atlanta in a trade on March 5th to try and bring some much needed power to the squad but became expendable with the addition of Ryan Flaherty. It did not help that Schimpf had a particularly awful spring training.
Scimpf hit .158/.284/.424 for the Padres in 2017 producing only 0.1 WAR but hitting 14 home runs with his fly-ball heavy swing. He went hitless this spring with the Braves and Rays and struck out in more than 75% of his at-bats.
Carlos Perez adds depth for a Braves team that needs it after the loss of catchers Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki for a short time to injuries. Perez is more known for his defensive skills, but did post a .352/.423/.502 slash line at AAA in 2017 good enough for a 144 wRC+.
At just 27 years old, Perez is a good gamble for a Braves team in desperate need of healthy bodies behind the plate. Stay tuned for more updates on the Braves injured catching platoon.